TLH: Scouting Report on Joseph Randle

40 times are the most overrated measure of speed.... It's 40 yards on a straight line which doesn't happen too often in a game situation... It's change of direction speed and quickness both Randle have plenty of... So that chart tells me

Not comparing him to Emmitt Smith but Emmitt ran what was considered a slow 4.5 40 yard. Just saying. Look up what Jerry Rice Ran a 40 coming out of college. 40 is not the be all end all for football players. Hell Alfred morris runs 4.65-4.70. Personally I think guys that rely on speed have to keep adjusting their game as they get older whereas "slower" guys work on other things.

And just using the eyetest and from what i've seen from all of the backs I would think Dunbar would be our fastest guy with Randle second. I don't know if its small helmet or shoulder pads but Randle looks a lot smaller than Demarco. I would've never guessed he was 6 foot. He looks a lot faster than a 4.63 40 too.

They do. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the injury thing. And this is coming from someone who's been ever-so-slightly disappointed with his running so far this season.

They overrate Randle, too, in my opinion. I like the guy, but there's no getting around the fact that he's not physically dominating, and he's slow. I've yet to see him impress me more than the three backs ahead of him on the roster. He's about on a par with Tanner, as far as I can tell, as a player. I like him, but hardly consider him a steal for where he was picked.

They do. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the injury thing. And this is coming from someone who's been ever-so-slightly disappointed with his running so far this season.

They overrate Randle, too, in my opinion. I like the guy, but there's no getting around the fact that he's not physically dominating, and he's slow. I've yet to see him impress me more than the three backs ahead of him on the roster. He's about on a par with Tanner, as far as I can tell, as a player. I like him, but hardly consider him a steal for where he was picked.

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I tend to agree with both points. The saving grace is that Philly is so bad at stopping the pass that it may not matter as far as this single game is concerned, so Dallas can get by with Randle as long as their game-plan is sound.

I tend to agree with both points. The saving grace is that Philly is so bad at stopping the pass that it may not matter as far as this single game is concerned, so Dallas can get by with Randle as long as their game-plan is sound.

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If he can pass protect, yeah. You know me...I don't worry overly much about the running game, anyway. We're getting conversions and touchdowns in short-yardage situations (when was the last time we had two redzone rushing touchdowns in the same game prior to last weekend?). As long as we're able to do that, I'm pretty ok with it.
I do worry about the rookie missing a blitz pickup and getting Romo killed, though.

I was very happy to see the Cowboys draft Randle, people can talk about speed or size all they want but the guy is a football player and he knows how to do the job. I'm very confident in his ability to help this team

With DeMarco Murray and Lance Dunbar both out next week, the Dallas Cowboys will turn to their fifth round rookie running back Joseph Randle to carry the load against the Philadelphia Eagles. And while Dallas has been somewhat successful in finding middle to late round steals at the running back position in the past few drafts, I have my reservations about Randle and how well he will perform in a starting role.

Joseph Randle was a 2013 5th round pick out of Oklahoma State who many at the time believed Dallas stole on draft day. He slipped in the draft in part because of a slow 40 yard dash time. While I don't believe one single run at an NFL combine defines how good or bad a player is going to be, it does give us reason to hesitate. Below is a chart of the Dallas Cowboys running backs currently on the roster and how they measure out:

Randle ran a 4.52 forty at this Pro-Day. His unofficial forty at the combine was 4.59. Some people believe that the unofficial number is more accurate. There is/was a write-up on WalterFootball about why he believes that the unofficial number is more accurate.

Randle's 3-cone was 7.01 vs 7.28 for Murray.

I find the article to be comical. It makes conclusions based on a few carries that he has received as a rookie and his forty time. Did the article even evaluate his college tape?

It compares his "vision" to one of the top RBs in the league (McCoy). McCoy is a veteran that has seen every possible defensive out there.

If he can pass protect, yeah. You know me...I don't worry overly much about the running game, anyway. We're getting conversions and touchdowns in short-yardage situations (when was the last time we had two redzone rushing touchdowns in the same game prior to last weekend?). As long as we're able to do that, I'm pretty ok with it.
I do worry about the rookie missing a blitz pickup and getting Romo killed, though.

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Randle's pass protection is why I prefer Tanner. Cowboys have the rest of the week to figure out who's better in this area.